Steelers Draft and Mel Kiper sucks thread!!

Anyone want to question my board and why I left Johnny Suckzell off the board.

Shazier is showing life, sorry but Mosley over Shazier I will stick with that one.

1997 Chad Scott, the last time they drafted a CB in round one. The reason, Rod Woodson left for Oakland. Morons should have made him a Safety. Ike is done, toast, not sure where Cortez Allen's head is. When Will Gay is your # CB, time to draft one before Saturday. Could they have franchised Keenan Lewis not sure, that is beachbum's area of expertise. Sadly they paid Cortez in a panic mode after the Lewis gaff..

 

I have corner listed as a need to sate appetites and quell tempers, and yeah, our secondary needs to be better, BUT, I feel what they really need is the subtraction of dead weight and more experience for the new guys.

I'm really baffled as to why Shamarko Thomas still isn't playing on defense. Yeah, he's great on special teams, but I want to see if he's Troy's heir, dammit!

Mike Mitchell will be fine. William Gay plays well enough to be a starter. If we wanted, we could work with both McCain and Blake to make sure they get better from this season to next. I don't think Cortez Allen is going anywhere THIS offseason, but Ike is finished.

Like I've been saying, I'm in favor of continuing to draft for the front seven. A pass rush will make our DBs look better. That's always been LeBeau's mantra to begin with.

With that in mind, the new draft:

1. Alvin Dupree, OLB, Kentucky

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZXUQagnpOU[/video]

2. Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State

Good blind-side tackle, especially in run-blocking. Fluent in zone and an ideal fit for Munchak's blocking scheme.

3. Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwpE0k2jro[/video]

^^^^^^^Sorry about the French.

4. Darren Lake, NT, Alabama
5. Robert Myers, T/G, Tennessee State
6. Deion Barnes, OLB, Penn State
7. Damian Swann, CB, Georgia

FREE AGENT: Brian Hoyer, QB, Browns
FREE AGENT: Lance Kendricks, TE, Rams

UDFA. Kaleb Eulls, DE, Mississippi State
UDFA. Chris Carter, DL, Ohio State

I'm actually hoping this will change very soon.

 

Jay Ajayi!!! I've been talking about him since last season. He's a stud! The kids not the best blocker but he is one heck of a play maker. He has got the feet to make people miss. The speed to outrun people and the strength to go through defenders. He's got great hands. Somebody is going to get a major steal if he makes it out of the second round. I have loved watching this kid play the last two seasons.

 

I tried a full two-round mock for the NFL. I wanted to do more, but this took a long time.

1. Buccaneers - Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
2. Titans - Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska
3. Jaguars - Leonard Williams, DT, USC
4. Raiders - Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
5. Redskins - Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
6. Jets - Brandon Scherff, OT, Iowa
7. Falcons - Shane Ray, DE, Missouri
8. Giants - Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
9. Bears - DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
10. Panthers - Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State
11. Vikings - Shawn Oakman, DE, Baylor
12. Rams - Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
13. Texans - Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
14. Browns - Landon Collins, SS, Alabama
15. Dolphins - Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
16. 49ers - Shaq Thompson, ILB, Washington
17. Chargers - Alvin Dupree, OLB, Kentucky
18. Browns - Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
19. Chiefs - La'el Collins, OT, LSU
20. Eagles - Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State
21. Saints - Dante Fowler Jr., OLB, Florida
22. Steelers - Eddie Goldman, NT, Florida State
23. Ravens - Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma
24. Cowboys - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
25. Bengals - Danny Shelton, DT, Washington
26. Colts - Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame
27. Lions - Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin
28. Cardinals - Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
29. Packers - Shilique Calhoun, OLB, Michigan State
30. Broncos - Nate Orchard, DE, Utah
31. Seahawks - P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State
32. Patriots - T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh

1. Titans - Devin Funchess, WR, Michigan
2. Jaguars - Danielle Hunter, DE, LSU
3. Raiders - A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina
4. Buccaneers - Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
5. Jets - Michael Bennett, NT, Ohio State
6. Redskins - Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn
7. Giants - Malcom Brown, DT, Texas
8. Bears - Ty Sambrailo, OT, Colorado State
9. Falcons - Gerod Holliman, FS, Louisville
10. Panthers - Cameron Erving, C, Florida State
11. Rams - Arik Armstead, DE, Oregon
12. Vikings - Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford
13. Browns - Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB, Louisville
14. Dolphins - Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
15. 49ers - Tevin Coleman, RB, Indiana
16. Texans - Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA
17. Bills - Reese Dismukes, C, Auburn
18. Chiefs - Mario Edwards Jr., DE, Florida State
19. Chargers - Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
20. Eagles - D'Joun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic
21. Saints - DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
22. Ravens - Terron Smith, FS, Fresno State
23. Steelers - Spencer Drango, OT, Baylor
24. Cowboys - Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio)
25. Bengals - Carl Davis, DT, Iowa
26. Lions - Ereck Flowers, OT, Miami
27. Colts - Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State
28. Cardinals - Josue Matias, OG, Florida State
29. Packers - Arie Kouandijo, OG, Alabama
30. Broncos - Duke Johnson, RB, Miami
31. Seahawks - Denzel Perryman, MLB, Miami
32. Patriots - Markus Golden, DE, Missouri

 

if PJ Williams, Marcus Peters and/or Ifo Ekpre-Olomu are still standing at pick #22 and Tomlin/Colbert pick a friggin' NT, feel free drop them into the Allegheny with cement shoes.

 

And here's why they'd pass on all three guys:

Ekpre-Olomu: A shrimp. Obvious issues in run support.
Peters: Off-field conduct risk; possible distraction.
Williams: Press corner; very little zone experience.

Why would they pick a NT?

Depth of rotation, primarily. Paradoxically, it would allow McLendon to see the field more often as an end, and McLendon right now is either our best or second-best defensive lineman.

They could pick up to three defensive linemen since they stand to lose Keisel and Thomas. That would leave them with...Dan McCullers as depth.

Goldman will be a fantastic nose for whatever team drafts him. I'd rather a virtual sure thing than a corner who may not fit.

 

Sorry I am with Firehalo, NO to a DL in round one. McClullers was a steal, he is getting more and more time,, Tuitt is your future DE, Mcclendon is not awful, I am more disappointed in Jarvis Jones, right now, he plays small. Their DL is deep and young, focus on Secondary which is decreped.

Don't rule out a Free Agent CB, not sure who is available, but the draft is a crap shoot. I would really think about Playmakers over Steady Eddie guys. I do agree about off the field crap, no high risk character time-bombs needed.

Update, Johnny Manziel sucks coose mock. Oh my hammy, *JOKINGLY* that kid was never ready for the speed of the NFL, mentally, or physically.

 

It should go over well that I managed to go through four rounds without typing it all down (it's actually the typing that's the most tedious part, IMO), and we ended up with Ronald Darby in the third round (better scheme fit than Williams) and Oh-Diggy-Zoo-Wa, UCLA OLB, in the fourth. I won't argue the merits of Goldman over those corners too much right now since I know my philosophy isn't the popular one anyway. With luck, we have long-term starters in place.

 

I could live with these guys in the first 3 rounds.

1. Alex Carter, CB, Stanford
2. Hau'oii Kikaha, LB, Washington
3. Durrell Collins, S, Syracuse

1. Alvin Dupree, LB, Kentucky
2. Anthony Harris, SS, Virginnia
3. Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest

The theme is basically get 2 more pieces for the secondary, and someone, anyone who can put pressure on the QB from the LB positon, prefferably players with size. I agree with Demo, Epkre-Oompa Loompa, no frieking thanks to the Shrimp Salad. We got one in Shamarko Thomas no need to fulfill the midget quota any further.

 

There will be 4 Safeties taken in round one, bank on it. Pittsburgh is in play for one of them. Collins goes top 10, then expect 3 more late teens to late twenties.

 

I LOVE Kevin Johnson. He was my third-rounder for a little while.

 

How far do we need to trade up to get a safety? I doubt any of those 4 are there at 32.

 

I tnink Pitt will be drafting 25-27, just a gut. Kid out of Louisville, Holliman, led the country in picks he fits that range. If he runs well and his head is on right, that Steeler secondary needs turnovers to change games and an injection of speed.

 

Gerod Holliman? Reminds me a lot of Mike Mitchell, but a mixture of the Carolina and Pittsburgh versions. Yeah, he can play the ball, but he needs to work on pursuit angles and tackling fundamentals.

IMO, if we go safety at all, I like Cody Prewitt out of Ole Miss.

 

Don't sleep on Eskridge Demo he 's the answer to the Jimmy
Grahams of the NFL. I also like the safety out of Fresno State, Derron Smith, he's the 2015 version of Jimmy Ward who really made a late surge up most boards.

 

Watching the Hawaii Bowl, LIke this Safety Derron Smith out of Fresno State, he's a hitter, also returns punts, he could sneak into the first round based on value of the Safety in today;s passing NFL. I mentioned this several times, almost every NFL team, minus Seattle could use a Young Safety to become a starter sooner than later. Another Fresno State player to watch is Tyler Davidson, he's a load and cannot be single blocked.

 

Merry Christmas. No bowl games today, but this is a day for family.

Tomorrow 3 bowl games, I am concentrating on secodary play. A few later round guys I like stuck in the NFL, Davon House, and Glover Quin. Nott sure if Colbert willll pull the trigger on Trae Waynes, but not every starter came from Round 1. The Benglas have a lot of high pick CB and S players and there is really nobody that screams Pro Bowl in their Secondary.

 

Shout out to everyone who liked Pierre Desir. He played pretty well in Carolina this past weekend.

 

Wexell always does a bowl watch for possible prospects. Opinions vary obviously but it's usually a good read...

BOWL WATCH II

Jim Wexell
Publisher SteelCityInsider.net

Steelers prospects
Here's Part II of Jim Wexell's three-part Bowl Watch for fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wow, Part I sure was slow. And difficult. But things should heat up in Part II because there are many prospects this coming week who'll interest fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. These are some of my favorites:

Saturday, Dec. 27
Sun Bowl, 2:05 p.m. - Duke vs. Arizona State. Interesting matchup in the pits when ASU's Marcus Hardison (1) goes up against Duke strong guard Laken Tomlinson (77). Hardison is a late bloomer who's raw and needs hard coaching but has size and quickness. Normally a DE in ASU's 4-3, try to imagine whether he can take John Mitchell's hard coaching and become one of his 3-4 field oxen. The real show here, though, is ASU WR Jaelen Strong (21), who's just eye candy for Steelers fans.

Independence Bowl, 3:35 p.m. - Miami vs. South Carolina. I watched Miami LT Ereck Flowers (74) tear apart an undersized Virginia Tech DL with a nasty attitude one night. The guy finished everything he touched. Yet, he's still considered a second-rounder, so I guess I need to see more of him. He injured his knee in that game and hopefully is 100 percent for this one. One of the few quality TE prospects, Clive Walford (46) won't play for Miami, but RB Duke Johnson (8) will. He's an all-around back in the Tiki Barber mold who'll be too rich for Steelers blood. On defense for Miami, Anthony Chickillo (71) has a great motor and could provide solid later-round value as a 3-4 DE. The CB to watch in this game is Miami mid-rounder Ladarius Gunter (37). South Carolina also has a running back in Mike Davis (28), but left guard A.J. Cann (50) is more fun to watch. He's only 6-3, so he's not an elite prospect, but he pulverizes people. And if you can take your eyes off Cann, do a quick check on 6-6 1/2, 344-pound LT Corey Robinson (53).

Pinstripe Bowl, 4:35 p.m. - Penn State vs. Boston College. I hate to say this to my fellow fans of Northeast college football, but, yuck. Not much here but a BC center and a Penn State safety, Adrian Amos (4). He's a mid-rounder who'll hit you.

Holiday Bowl, 8:05 p.m. - Nebraska vs. USC. Two draftnick favorites for the top of the defensive board will showcase their skills here, but I'm just not sold on Nebraska DE/OLB Randy Gregory (4). I watched him against Wisconsin, when Melvin Gordon went for 400+, and was thoroughly unimpressed. The experts say I don't know what I'm looking at, that even in that game Gregory showed special skills. Well, it's true. I don't know what I'm looking at, but I do know that a top-of-the-board pass-rusher needs to be more of a handful than Gregory was in that game. I'm certainly no scout, but I've watched 3-4 OLBs closely over the years and when I watched this guy I could only think of Jarvis Jones' rookie season. Gregory was not a handful. And he was consistently last off the ball. I asked Draft Twitter if the guy was hurt, as he was bounced around by pro-sized Wisconsin OTs, and the response was that I am an idiot. Well, that may be the case but Nebraska eventually had to help Gregory off the field after a couple of linemen sandwiched him, and in the following game against Northwestern Gregory was just as unimpressive before leaving again. So maybe he is/was hurt. I'll watch again, just in case I'm right and he falls to the 32nd pick and the Steelers rush to the podium in 1.9 seconds to take him. And while I'm on overrated prospects, don't waste your time with Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah (8). He's too small, can't block and fumbles. I wouldn't even put a draftable grade on him. On the USC side, DT/DE Leonard Williams (94) is too blue-chip for Steelers tastes but there are three Trojans I'll watch for the first time: RB Javorius Allen (37) is a late-rising power back who's contemplating an early departure; CB Josh Shaw (6) is a 6-footer who missed most of the season after lying to coaches and media about a preseason ankle injury; and OLB J.R. Tavai (58), who's been in and out with injuries.

Monday, Dec. 29
Liberty Bowl, 2:05 p.m. - West Virginia vs. Texas A&M. Forget about star WR Kevin White (11). Too good and the Steelers don't need WRs. The only WVU possibility in my mind is backup RB Dreamius Smith (2) after the draft. I'm not impressed with edge rusher Shaquille Riddick (4), but he did put up some numbers. As for A&M, OT Cedric Ogbuehi's move to LT this season was a failure, so he moved back over to the right side where he played so well last year. But unless he's a line-caving killer in the T.J. Clemmings mold, the Steelers have no need for a first-round RT. The CB to watch on White is A&M mid-rounder Deshazor Everett (29).

Citrus Bowl, 5:35 p.m. - Clemson vs. Oklahoma. Clemson has some interesting defensive talent, starting with 235-pound edge-rusher Vic Beasley (3), who for my money has the best first step in college football. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (50) doesn't seem to fit a Steelers niche with his body type, but I thought of Geno Atkins when I watched him earlier. Corey Crawford (93) is a 270-pound 4-3 end who could be a late-round 3-4 OLB possibility. For Oklahoma, watch their OTs. The LT, Tyrus Thompson (71), might have too much Phil Loadholt in him, so it'll be interesting to watch him block Beasley. Thompson's less-heralded bookend, RT Daryl Williams (79), is a powerful and nasty run blocker who could provide better value later in the draft.

Texas Bowl, 9:05 p.m. - Texas vs. Arkansas. Need to see Arkansas TE A.J. Derby (11), who came on late in the season. Also need to see DE/OLB Trey Flowers (86) again because he's rated so highly but I don't remember being impressed. Texas CB Quandre Diggs is only 5-9 but extremely tough and also returns punts. I could see the Steelers drafting him in the fourth or fifth round.

Tuesday, Dec. 30
Music City Bowl, 3:05 p.m. - Notre Dame vs. LSU. A battle of elite left tackles: from Notre Dame, Ronnie Stanley (78), and from LSU, La'el Collins (70). Again, I don't believe the Steelers need a first-round tackle, but there seem to be so many of them that value, for once, could be had at that position, and the Steelers -- while happy with Kelvin Beachum -- have only three tackles on their roster. As usual, Notre Dame has a TE prospect in Ben Koyack (18), and as usual, LSU has a couple of heralded underclassmen who could declare: 6-2 CB Jalen Collins (32) and 6-6 OLB Danielle Hunter (94).

Belk Bowl, 6:35 p.m. - Louisville vs. Georgia. Lorenzo Mauldin (94) is an interesting DE/OLB who could be available in the second round. I saw one series from him before he left a Louisville game with an injury, but he'll play here. He's been through 18 different foster/group homes but earned a college degree this year. Mike Tomlin likes guys with an edge who've been able to overcome impossible childhoods. I recommend against drafting Louisville FS Gerod Holliman (8). Yes, he leads the nation with 14 interceptions, but watch the guy tackle. Or not tackle. On the CB watch, here's a William Gay Special: Louisville CB Charles Gaines (3) is also a core special-teamer and could be there in the fifth round. Georgia has a slot CB/core special-teamer as well, Damian Swann (5), who's also a good blitzer. My favorite Georgia prospect is ILB Ramik Wilson (51). I know the Steelers don't need inside backers, but this guy could be another later-round value pick.

San Francisco Bowl, 10:05 p.m. - Maryland vs. Stanford. If you liked Josh Mauro as a 5-tech out of Stanford last year, you'll love the bigger, thicker Henry Anderson (91). They're saying he's a mid to late-rounder and, after watching the UCLA game, I say yes please. This game also includes another first-round LT in Andrus Peat (70), who's oft-criticized, but, to me, again, yes please. That's if he comes out as a junior. And I watched Stanford's junior CB Alex Carter (25) for the first time, and fell for him too. Can I just have Stanford in this draft? Give me their SS, Jordan Richards (8), and their stand-up edge rusher, James Vaughters (9), in the mid-rounds, too, along with Anderson. And the QB, Kevin Hogan (8), well, if he falls to the sixth, him too. The Steelers have a knack for grabbing guys who have fallen and were much better in their junior years, so maybe WR/RS Ty Montgomery (7) fits that bill as well. But if you only want to watch legitimate Steelers first-round possibilities, watch Carter, the junior CB and son of former pro CB Tom Carter.

Wednesday, Dec. 31
Peach Bowl, 12:35 p.m. - Ole Miss vs. TCU. My favorite free safety in college football is Ole Miss's Cody Prewitt (25). Not that I'm in agreement with most Steelers followers that the team will be looking at safeties. I believe Shamarko Thomas and Mike Mitchell will both receive another full year to prove themselves. But Prewitt, to me, is an alert and heady ballhawk who can hit, and would be a home run in the third round. But the best ballhawk, or, more aptly, ball magnet, is Ole Miss CB Senquez Golson (21). He's intercepted nine passes this season but is only 5-9. He and Preweitt will be tested by TCU's big WRs, in particular Josh Doctson (9). The TCU player Steelers fans need to watch is CB Kevin White (25), a probable second-rounder.

Fiesta Bowl, 4:05 p.m. - Boise State vs. Arizona. Boise St. has one of the top runners in Jay Ajayi (27) but he'll likely be too rich for the Steelers' taste in the spring. For the sake of due diligence, watch Arizona OLB Scooby Wright (33) and S Jared Tevis (38).

Orange Bowl, 8:05 p.m. - Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi State. Keep an eye on late-round safeties Isaiah Johnson (1) of Tech and Justin Cox (9) of State. Or just watch the pop stars rock in the New Year.

 

Really likethe LG from Rutgers, Kaleb Johnson, good base, punch, and he's nasty.